beating jet lag.

Im travelling to a friends wedding in Brisbane in September.
I will be going alone as the kids are too young for the 30hr flight and the missus will not leave them with the out-laws.

So i have agreed to go alone

Im only going for a week though and am about to book my flights ....here is the itinery -

Manchester depart 20.50 on the 7th
Dubai arrive 07.00 on the 8th
Dubai Depart 08.45 on the 8th
Brisbane Arrive 07:00 on the 9th

On the way back
Brisbane depart 20.05 on the 15th
Dubai arrive 06:00 on the 16th
Dubai depart 07.55 on the 16th
Man arrive 12.25 on the 16th

Does anyone know what the best way of beating the jet lag on this journey would be .... i know there are theories about when to sleep and when not to sleep etc so if you have any advice i would be grateful.

Also ...possibly a stoooopid question - do i need a visa or anything for Oz or just the bog standard turn up at the airport with a suitcase full of dodgy hawaian shirts and a passport will do?

Try to adjust as best as possible to the time zone you're flying to from the moment the wheels go up, so looks like you need to grab a decent kip twixt each change of plane (you don't say how many hours flying time each leg is). Try to do the same with eating intervals. I find I can cope with the fatigue of flying, but my stomach can take ages to catch-up. Important to eat at meal times and not graze. Limit Alcohol and Coffe/Tea. Drink plenty of water. Drink plenty of water. Did I mention water...OK.

BIG tip... Foam earplugs. Take plenty, really help the sleeping bit.
Decent eye-shields, not those nasty sweaty plastic freebie ones, nice soft material ones.
Neck Pillow. Just nice to have a change of neck/head position. Sitting by the window gives a bit more comfort but can be claustrophobic.
Take plenty mints, chewing gum... if the person next to you has bad breath... offer them some gum!
Take plenty opportunity to stand a while. Some planes are better accomodated for this having an area at the rear to loiter a while and flex the muscles and stretch.

My really top flying tip (for a man) is this; if you want really good service, don't try and sweet-talk the Air hostesses, they've heard it all before, but try smiling at the male Air Stewards and you'll find the standard of service often improves.

Snap, I'm going over for a wedding in Melbourne next month.
I needed a visa, it cost £20 but only took minutes on line to fill in and within seconds they had sent me a text message confirming I'd been accepted and few minutes later the email arrived confirming it .

Im travelling to a friends wedding in Brisbane in September.
I will be going alone as the kids are too young for the 30hr flight and the missus will not leave them with the out-laws.

So i have agreed to go alone

Im only going for a week though and am about to book my flights ....here is the itinery -

Manchester depart 20.50 on the 7th
Dubai arrive 07.00 on the 8th
Dubai Depart 08.45 on the 8th
Brisbane Arrive 07:00 on the 9th

On the way back
Brisbane depart 20.05 on the 15th
Dubai arrive 06:00 on the 16th
Dubai depart 07.55 on the 16th
Man arrive 12.25 on the 16th

Does anyone know what the best way of beating the jet lag on this journey would be .... i know there are theories about when to sleep and when not to sleep etc so if you have any advice i would be grateful.

Also ...possibly a stoooopid question - do i need a visa or anything for Oz or just the bog standard turn up at the airport with a suitcase full of dodgy hawaian shirts and a passport will do?

Nothing really gets rid of the jetlag, but I travel transatlantic a few times a year and the following makes it easier. As someone else has said, neck pillow, earplugs and an eyemask makes it easier to sleep. When you get on the plane set your watch to the time of your destination at the start of the journey. Drink plenty of water, avoid alcohol and caffeine. I also take 'jetease' a homeopathic remedy which alleviates the symptoms of jetlag. You can buy it on the internet. It only works if you don't drink though... When you arrive try to tough it out and go to bed when everyone else does, rather than follow your own body clock. Avoid sleeping tablets as they just turn you into a wreck.
That's about it. All from bitter experience though.

Reading FabFoodies post makes a lot of sense.....i do the exact opposite..and struggle

I drink and eat anything and everything they put in front of me ...and then suffer.

Earplugs and a pillow..definately.
Window seat does allow you to rest your head on the side...

But....sometimes it's just not going to be easy.
I did a 12 hour flight from South America..Business Class. Front of the plane (much less engine noise) and a fully reclining seat that very near became a bed, pillows and a spread, quiet cabin, i was already dog tired....still struggled